The Ties that Bind
by kotokei
Summary: Eleven instances in which Dewa Masaomi tries to help the members of the HOMRA family, and all the little ways they try to help him. Edit: The secondary character tags will now show the three latest characters that featured in the chapters. Edit: Yata's chapter is finally up.
1. Eric

A/N: I thought there was a severe lack of Dewa, so I've decided to rectify this since it _is_ his birthday.

Disclaimer: K is not mine...and never will be...but if it were, i'd give the HOMRA alphabet kids more screentime = A =

This first drabble is with Eric, because...I really don't think Dewa hates him or anything. They do, however, have quite a bit to go before they're really friends. w ;

* * *

Eric does not like storms. In fact, it would be accurate to say that he hates them. Fujishima knows this, but Fujishima has been called away to help his grandparents, and the bar is almost completely devoid of its usual inhabitants - Dewa is perched at the counter, typing away on his phone, waiting for Kusanagi to return from an errand. There is no one to help when the lightning flashes brighter and the thunder crashes louder, straight into his bones and making him shudder into fetal position.

He's scared,

scared and cold and alone and it's getting harder and harder to breathe and his vision is blurring and fujishima's not here and he's not okay and _just breathe stop panicking no_

 _ **no**_

and then there's a blanket, soft and red, that's edged closer and closer to his feet and watching it slide closer and closer is actually vaguely distracting to the small part of his mind that's still coherent.

The couch dips and he manages to peek out over his arms at Dewa, who is pointedly staring at the opposite wall. The other must have been somehow observing him because once he's looking at the black-haired male, Dewa starts breathing in and out audibly and visibly. Each breath is measured, careful,

and

before he knows it,

Eric's breaths are coming more naturally.

(He'll be scared of storms for years to come, but he's never weathering them alone again.)

* * *

The first of ...twelve drabbles. This was crossposted from tumblr (on tumblr i am kotoyokai, if you want to find me there). :)


	2. Mikoto

*despairs* these were supposed to be below 100 words, i swear. they were never supposed to get /longer/.

Disclaimer: Okay, this is the last time I'm doing this in _this_ fanfic. I don't own K and never will...ever...

* * *

Dewa never quite knows how to thank Mikoto-san. The lack of knowledge gnaws at him during moments of peace - the thought that their king doesn't know how absolutely _grateful_ he is that the man took in two strays with nothing to their name is just inexcusable.

(HOMRA has done wonders for Chitose, made him come alive again when Dewa had thought all was lost,healed him in ways Dewa could not, and that is something he will never be able to repay them for.)

It's not for a lack of trying - he does help Kusanagi-san with information-gathering the most, after all, and he _should_ be able to find a way to show his gratitude, but Mikoto Suoh hardly seems to be wanting anything he could give. He tries to observe the man's hobbies; Mikoto-san seems to prefer sleeping and eating good food and occasionally, walks, but seldom does much else other than observe his little kingdom.

But well, if that's all he has to go off of, then that's all he has to go off of, and he _will_ make it work. (Little known fact #27: Dewa Masaomi is incredibly stubborn when he wants to be. Watch out, world.)

He starts frequenting a part of the supermarket he would have never gone to before, not with the income from his two part-time jobs. The painstaking scouting works, however; before long, he knows the periodicity of when the best, highest-quality meats go on sale. Kusanagi-san starts giving him bemused looks when he delivers the packages with a quiet, somewhat dismissive "I happened to pick some up on the way" each time, as if these aren't way above his budget.

It's vaguely terrifying when he's stopped one day on his way out by the red-haired man with a firm utterance of his name - Dewa hates being singled out, even if no one else's there besides Kusanagi-san, and Mikoto-san is intimidating anyways. However, all the king says is a solid-sounding

"Thanks for the food"

and that's it. But somehow, just with that, Dewa's sure Mikoto-san's gotten the meaning loud and clear.

He's their king, after all.

* * *

thanks for the food is only one word in japanese (gochisousama), which i thought would fit…

and it's for the best mikoto doesn't stop dewa. kid would worry himself out of his skin trying to find other things to do. this way they're both happy. no, kusanagi-san, it's not spoiling mikoto-san….

onto the next! the story will eventually be cross-posted to AO3 too, but i need to make an account first ha...


	3. Fujishima

The third drabble ... this time with the two least developed HOMRA kids...ah, they're so underrated...how sad...

* * *

"...so, that's the situation, " Fujishima explains, and waits patiently for Dewa to react, preferably in a hilariously indignant way. (Fun fact #42: Fujishima Kousuke can and will troll anyone because he just _does not give a damn._ )

"Your grandparents are worried you're not making enough friends at your 'company' and now you want me to go over to your house. On a Sunday. My _one_ day of rest." Dewa's starting to get that expression where he absolutely can't believe something is happening right before his eyes. It tends to happen a lot around Chitose, though Fujishima's been lucky enough to get the brunt of it every so often.

"Yes. Can you do it?" The orange-haired man watches in interest as his friend's eye twitches in annoyance but Dewa only huffs lightly before asking,

"Why not ask someone else, like...Shouhei? He's good at interacting with people…." _Ah_ , the animal-lover thinks, _no yelling yet_.

"I told them it was the kind of business only you know how to do," Fujishima shrugs.

"Why did you make accounting sound so shady….." Dewa sighs again, tugging irritably at the brim of his hat and then the collar of his jacket, but his clansmen can almost see him descending begrudgingly into acquiescence, despite the narrowed eyes and resolutely downturned mouth.

"Fine. But no bringing in any animals for the next two weeks."

"One week."

"Two weeks, definitely don't bring in any strays for TWO weeks!"

"One and a half?"

" _AUGH"_

* * *

Dewa has a weakness for black cats. Fujishima's totally going to exploit that during the two week ban.


	4. Kamamoto

The fourth drabble, this time with Kamamoto. The reason why Chitose is tagged, by the way, is because his will be longer. Probably way longer. Also because his name shows up more often in the other drabbles than anyone else's name.

* * *

Some days, Kamamoto Rikio isn't quite sure if he'll ever be able to take a break. Trips to get snacks become something like a little respite from his busy, busy schedule of taking care of his family and trying to make sure Yata doesn't do too much damage whenever he's around and running errands for Kusanagi-san, whether it's obtaining more alcohol or combing through pages and pages of documents for information on a forming yakuza.

This week, however, has been remarkably bad, even for him. His grandfather is ill, which besides being an immense worry in and of itself, upsets his grandmother greatly, making her more irritable than usual. Yata and Fushimi clashed again last week, hard, and his best friend deals with this by practically throwing himself into fights and skateboarding at reckless speeds, sending Kamamoto running futilely after him in despair. To top if off, Kusanagi-san has asked him to look into the latest drug cartel activities of a growing annoyance to HOMRA.

He starts work on it at 6:30 PM, to the sounds of most of the others cheerfully leaving for home. By 9:30 PM, when he drops his face into his hands and rubs at sore, sore eyes, there are about 143 windows open on his laptop and growing piles of documents. Kusanagi is upstairs, attending to Anna - only Dewa remains in the bar with him, peering intently at his own open laptop.

Or not - Dewa looks up after five minutes of Kamamoto only being able to focus on how his grandmother will react if he heads for home any later than this, perhaps feeling the weight of the taller man's despair inherent in his blank stare.

"Kamamoto." He starts at his own name, almost upsetting his coffee onto his laptop.

"Y-yeah? What's up?" _Oh no, please don't ask me to help, I'm sorry, I just can't handle anything right now -_

"Go home." What.

"What do you mean, go home? I still have so much to do….wait, wait, hold on, what are you doing?!" Dewa ignores him, moving the pile furthest from Kamamoto to his own workspace first and then methodologically shifting the others closer to himself as well.

"Dewa -"

"Go home. Seriously. I'll need your laptop, though, so leave that here." The hat is pulled down a bit more as the other starts focusing on his work again.

"I can't just leave you to do all of this by yourself, it would take past midnight for the _two of us_ to finish at earliest!" Dewa shoots him an irritated stare under the brim of the hat and practically cuddles the tumbler of coffee to his chest, "I'll manage. You need to do other things, don't you?"

Kamamoto hesitates. That's true enough, but….

"I don't have work tomorrow, so I'll sleep when I'm done. It's fine," the black-haired HOMRA member presses, hunching protectively over the paper piles. It takes a little more arguing, but his companion finally, finally relents, going for the door.

"Thanks, Dewa. I owe you one," Kamamoto grins tiredly, letting the door close quietly behind him.

He doesn't hear Dewa's soft rebuttal.

("That's just what family does.")

* * *

It's not easy being Kamamoto and Dewa will fight you for the paperwork on select occasions.

(also he totally had work the next day but coffee is a _brilliant_ invention)


	5. Anna

aims for two drabbles a day

* * *

Occasionally, Anna still wonders what a 'normal' life would be like.

Sometimes, when her curiosity gets the best of her, she goes and tries to find out what other kids did, what they do now - all she's missed out on, all she's lost in exchange for all she does have.

The biggest thing appears to be school, so she asks Kusanagi to help her with some worksheets she finds online. Izumo raises his eyebrows, but the door opens then, and he smiles at their new arrival.

"Dewa, perfect timing. Could you look over these worksheets with Anna? It's been a long while since I've seen anything like this." None of it is incredibly difficult, really, but some of the worksheets she chose contain mathematical ideas that _never_ became useful. The younger male raises his eyebrows at the problems, but nods. Anna goes mildly starry-eyed with anticipation and Dewa tenses at the look.

"Anna, why don't you set up the table over there?" Kusanagi asks, and, when the little girl hurries to do as he asked, leans in close, "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you'd do a good job. Don't worry, alright?"

All he gets is a nod in reply, but Dewa doesn't look as stiff when he settles into the chair across from the white-haired girl.

When Izumo observes them later, he finds Dewa smiling at Anna's intense focus on one of the problems and the sight of them bent over the worksheet together brings a grin to his own lips.

After Dewa leaves for the night, Anna tells him in a quietly eager voice that they've worked out a schedule for lessons.

It becomes a common thing on study days for Dewa to bring a box of sweets, all of them red, while Kusanagi makes them some tea, and they enjoy both over a new set of worksheets. Anna thinks, one day, that normal little girls don't usually have tea and desserts with gangsters (even ones as mild-looking as her current companion).

Oh well. That's their loss.

* * *

green tea with sweets = bliss

also there are only a few things worse than ruining something someone was looking forward to, especially if they're important to you and dewa is definitely not immune to pressure

i'm taking chitose's name off of the character thing until his chapter because that'll be the second-to-last drabble. and by drabble, i mean full-on story because there was no way i was going to write something short for chitose and dewa...


	6. Shouhei

At long last, the sixth...this can't be called a drabble anymore, huh...more like a one-shot. Anyways, this time, it's Akagi Shouhei (and wow, would I love to hear/see what people think of Akagi and how they portray him, because I don't think _I'm_ doing him justice).

Also, guess who's thinking up an ATLA/LOK AU for HOMRA? I have no idea if I'm going to actually going to write anything down, though. = w = ;;

Lastly, a big thanks to the readers who've stuck with the story, and the reviewers who help keep me going.

* * *

"Shouhei...Do you really want _me_ to go with you to a friendly outing with people I don't know….?"

"It'll be fine, it'll be fine! Come on, please, Dewa-san? I asked San-chan, but he's busy that day, and Chitose-san said he has a date and Fujishima-san has to look after his parents and Eric won't-"

 _Chitose has a 'date', huh? Wait, so I was your last choice?_ "And you absolutely can't go by yourself?"

"I could, but…I mean...I guess if it's really too much trouble…" There's something in Akagi's eyes right before he ducks his head that's a little too vulnerable for Dewa's liking, and he exhales in a quick huff of breath before he taps on the bill of Akagi's cap.

"It's not. Just don't regret it when people find out I'm not the best conversationalist." And just like that, Akagi's back to looking sinfully pleased with life. Dewa can feel his own grimace in response and almost regrets agreeing to go.

He definitely starts to regret it a little when one of Akagi's friends tries to forcefully take off his hat and his glasses to get a better look at his face, and regrets it a little bit more when another one pitches almost into his lap to throw a completely full glass at his own with an incredibly sloppy "cheers, Shouhei's pal!"

It's when he glances up from wiping the alcohol from his clothes, however, that he realizes that something's wrong. It could be the half a glass of sake he's had, but Shouhei's laughter seems... _overbright_. And now that Dewa's looking, Shouhei's smile is too rigid at the corners.

(Dewa has had a lot of experience with seeing through fake smiles. Please turn to the case file labeled 'Chitose You' in his resume.)

So when Shouhei excuses himself to go to the bathroom, Dewa allows what he deems a respectful amount of time to pass before he decides that Shouhei has had enough time and follows.

He's not sure how surprised he is to find the usually cheerful clansman curled in on himself in the cramped, dingy restroom with its lights flickering on and off, revealing walls colored with more graffiti than the beige paint they must have been painted with once upon a time.

Shouhei looks up, pales a little in recognition, hastily wipes at his cheeks, and fumbles out a "D-Dewa-san! I-I was just...I'm…" while starting to struggle to his feet. Dewa, not remotely impressed, kneels down and presses a hand to the younger's shoulder.

"...So. What's wrong?"

For a moment, Shouhei looks like he might protest anything being wrong at all, despite the fact that he and Dewa are currently squatting in the squalor of a dimly lit bathroom of a second-rate bar. The moment passes soon enough, and he sighs, the corners of his mouth tugging downwards despite his attempts to smile.

"I just realized...I don't feel close to them anymore." When Dewa says nothing, Shouhei's words surge forth into the silence, "These guys are my really good friends, but I just felt so awkward...so out of place...We knew each other, but it doesn't. Feel like they know me anymore. It doesn't feel like _I_ can understand them anymore." The desperation is back in his eyes, but Dewa still says nothing. Not yet.

As if afraid the older clansman isn't understanding him, Shouhei presses on, trying to convey the sense of wrongness from hanging out with these people he used to think of as his best friends.

"It's just...everything they worry about...it's not stuff I worry about. And the things I think about...the way I think now...they're so different from how everyone else thinks...We were really, really close! And now it kinda feels like I'm losing them….it feels like there's something separating me from them."

"...like HOMRA?"

"...like HOMRA." They sit in silence until Shouhei hurriedly adds, "I don't regret joining HOMRA and never will, I just wish…"

"...I understand...as much as I can, anyways. Chitose's why I joined, so...it's not like I have other people to worry about. But. You know. It's...okay to be sad about these kinds of things. And. Well. I don't want to make it sound like we're replacing your friends. But. You can talk to us about stuff that bothers you. We'll listen...most of us. On certain days."

Shouhei's smile is starting to flicker onto his face like the lights are, even as Dewa starts fiddling with the brim of his hat and fussing with its position.

"Thanks, Dewa-san...hey, do you think we could leave early?"

"I honestly thought you would never ask."

They exit the bar to the goodbyes of Shouhei's friends who have managed to stay awake, right into the freezing night air. Before Dewa can flag down a cab, however, Shouhei asks, "Hey, Dewa-san...could I go over to your place?"

The bespectacled man turns from looking at the street to looking at him. "Why?"

"I don't want to be alone right now...Please?" He wonders if his earnestness is being adequately conveyed. _Maybe the puppy dog look will work?_

"...It can't be helped." _(Success!)_ Dewa hesitates, and then:

"...Shouhei."

"Hmm?"

"...Ah, never mind. Let's go."

 _(You're not alone, not as long as HOMRA is your family.)_

* * *

Well, that one was a really long one. _

There's no update schedule right now, because college is awful, but i'm not abandoning this fic, so there WILL be updates.

(Also, having my interpretation be called 'well-rounded' and hearing that it's believable was a relief. Thank you!)


	7. Bandou

Okay, so I didn't think I'd be gone for _that_ long, but college continued to be killer. I plan to get quite a bit of writing done over break, though.

* * *

He wakes up with a headache and the world sort of does this little tumble when he gets up, but Bandou's sure he can handle this, whatever it is.

When he shuffles into HOMRA, the lights may or may not be blurring a little and he may or may not have stumbled his way onto the barstool, but he can still handle it (no, Shouhei, he's fine, dammit, he's the senpai, he knows better than you! And besides, he won't be taken down by a little ...whatever-this-is!). Even if _everyone else_ thinks otherwise (jeez, screw you guys, absolutely no faith).

When he _really_ starts feeling like he's going to throw up ("Not on _my counter_!"), Bandou finally throws in the towel and agrees that "guys, I might be sick! What do I do?!" ("Don't throw up on me! I can't impress girls with _vomit_ on me!" "...were they ever impressed?" "I heard that!")

Shouhei volunteers to help, because of course he does, the stupidly nice idiotic cinnamon roll he is, but he's not going to have his _kouhai_ take care of him. In fact, he can take care of himself - as soon as he stops feeling like he's going to hurl. Which he's sure is going to be any minute now.

Or now.

Or-

Fujishima pushes a bucket over just in time.

* * *

By the time he has finally finished puking, most of the others have vacated the premises (Dewa tells him later that Kusanagi-san ushered Totsuka and Anna upstairs, Chitose escaped out to another bar with a semi-hesitant Shouhei, and Kamamoto and Yata headed out to a ramen joint). Fujishima and Eric are watching something on a laptop; Bandou can't quite make it out, especially not with uncomfortably dry eyes, but it's probably some cat video. Fujishima likes those.

To his surprise, Dewa is still sitting at the bar and Bandou must close his eyes for longer than he intended because when he opens them next, Dewa is in front of him.

"WHA-holy shit, dude, give a guy some warning!" Ouch. Yelling was a bad idea. This earns him an unamused stare before Dewa briskly informs him that, "I've called a cab. We're going to my place."

"Wh-but you-uh-I-I'll puke on your carpet!" Bandou flails a little and then yelps when the world tilts dangerously again and keeps tilting all until his face sinks into the soft fabric of Dewa's navy blue jacket. There's a small sigh that ruffles his hair, and when Bandou's eyes refocus and slide up, Dewa looks decidedly unsympathetic when he mutters "and that's why we all told you to go home earlier" (but there are deft fingers helping to hold him up against the shorter HOMRA member).

"My carpet has suffered worse, no thanks to Chitose. Besides, if it's really bad, then you'll just have to shell out the money to clean it." Bandou would protest more (a lot more), but everything sorta feels wrong and painful and gross and he's really very tired and Dewa's jacket is really, really soft and now that he thinks about it, if there's anyone used to people throwing up near them, it's...well, it's Kusanagi-san, but Dewa is probably second.

So he closes his eyes again and says, instead,

"Hey, man….thanks."

There's a small shift as Dewa starts in surprise at the acknowledgement, instinctively turning away to reject the words, but the fabric under Bandou's face settles again quickly after he whines at the movement.

"It's too early to thank me," his fellow clansman deflects quietly, and whatever Bandou wanted to say in response is thwarted by the loud honk from the taxi outside and by his own churning stomach.

Well, whatever. He'll just have to think up something while he recovers.

(They've got time.)

* * *

I've given up on making these super short, ha...

Not sure who's next, but I might post an interlude covering Chitose and Dewa joining HOMRA (originally it was a headcanon, but it has since been jossed...I might post it anyways? Does anyone want to see it, haha...)

Probably the next chapter will be Yata or Totsuka.


	8. Yata

"Koto, where have you been for like two years?"

In college, suffering. That doesn't particularly excuse how long it's been since the last update, so I'm sorry regardless. I wanted, initially, to scrap some of my old ideas and redo them because I...don't like them very much, this one included. But they were written already, and I kind of just want to finish this before Dewa's _next_ birthday at this rate. And because I have fanfics to transport over from AO3. And others to edit...So.

I'm sorry for a lot of things, but, also...thank _you_ for reading this despite everything.

* * *

Dewa keeps giving him coins. Yata's not sure _why_ , but Dewa keeps giving him coins.

Arcade coins, to be exact.

Every so often, his fellow clansman deposits a zipped bag filled with coins before him. When he asks about this, Dewa shrugs and says that he tends to find them here and there when cleaning, or explains that there was a sale recently and he just bought more than he intended.

As time goes on, Yata gets, in equal measure, confused and more than a little suspicious, but Dewa has never done anything to provoke him, so he lets it go and just enjoys not having to spend money when he has the urge to go play for a bit. It's nice to get some practice in, too, for when Anna goes with him.

Months go by in this fashion before Yata goes on a day he usually spends at the bar, and sees someone familiar at the counter. He ducks behind a console quickly and peeks over at where Dewa's obviously buying just one bag of coins before going towards the exit.

Yata hurries after him and catches up by calling after the other (Dewa stiffens immediately but turns anyways, looking nervous and guilty: looking caught).

He's figured it out. Dewa probably really likes gaming, but sucks at them and so he keeps giving Yata coins because he buys the coins, and then feels too ashamed to actually play them. The leftover coins he talked about were probably from when he did play games and then he got discouraged from sucking all the time and he didn't want anyone to know, so he just gave Yata the coins. Poor guy, no wonder Dewa's giving him the classic deer-in-the-headlights look.

Dewa speaks first, fumbling and looking slightly stricken,"Yata, I can explain-"

"Don't worry, Dewa. I won't tell anyone that you suck at arcade games! Your secret's safe with me...Wait, why do you look so surprised? I wouldn't hold it over _your_ head!" Yata's almost insulted; while it would be different if this were Bandou or Chitose (he would tease those two _mercilessly_ ), he doesn't tend to give Dewa grief, just like how he doesn't tease Fujishima (there's not really much to tease Fujishima or Dewa about, though, so it's kind of a missed opportunity, but...).

"That's not it, I know you wouldn't," Dewa shakes his head just slightly when he hurriedly placates the younger, "it's just...it's just a relief. Well. Thank you." The smile he gives looks genuine, so Yata grins back instead of pursuing the matter.

(Yeah, Yata can keep a secret.)

* * *

Totsuka and Kusanagi's chapters are written as well, while Chitose's is not (and wow, won't that be a trip, considering the last fic I wrote for those two spanned more than seven thousand words). These are meant to be like three hundred words or less, though. The last chapter also has not been written.

Here's to hoping those updates will be reasonably quick (to give a quick look forward: besides this, I have seven fics that need editing before going up). Not that...the fandom is...existent...enough for me to expect anyone to be looking forward to anything, but...well. I hope someone will enjoy them.


End file.
